Leaffooted bugs (; Hemiptera: Coreidae) are phytophagous insects native to the Western Hemisphere. In California, and are occasional pests on almonds. Early season feeding by and leads to almond drop, while late season feeding results in strikes on kernels, kernel necrosis, and shriveled kernels. A field cage study was conducted to assess feeding damage associated with and on four almond varieties, Nonpareil, Fritz, Monterey, and Carmel. The objectives were to determine whether leaffooted bugs caused significant almond drop, to pinpoint when the almond was vulnerable, and to determine the final damage at harvest. Branches with ~20 almonds were caged and used to compare almond drop and final damage in four treatments: (1) control branches, (2) mechanically punctured almonds, (3) adult , and (4) adult . Replicates were set up for eight weeks during two seasons. Early season feeding resulted in higher almond drop than late season, and resulted in greater drop than . The almond hull width of the four varieties in the study did not influence susceptibility to feeding damage. The final damage assessment at harvest found significant levels of kernel strikes, kernel necrosis, and shriveled almonds in bug feeding cages, with higher levels attributed to than . Further research is warranted to develop an Integrated Pest Management program with reduced risk controls for .
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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6835505 | PMC |
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/insects10100333 | DOI Listing |
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